Going into Wednesday night’s 12th annual Visual Effects Society Awards, there was little doubt that “Gravity” would be walking away with the lion’s share of the hardware. After all, it led the field with eight nominations and has asserted itself in the category as one of few no-brainer picks in the Oscar race this year (sorry all other nominees, it happens).

When the dust settled, it sported six trophies to show for itself. That’s the most wins for any film since “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” won as many seven years ago. Even “Avatar” didn’t hit that number. (The record is eight, for “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” back when there were a number of other categories that aren’t in play any longer.)

“Gravity” would have swept with seven total wins (it was nominated against itself in one category), but “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” snatched the award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture. A win for Dr. Ryan Stone there would have been a bit much, surely. But speaking of which, Dr. Stone herself, Sandra Bullock, was on hand to present “Gravity” director Alfonso Cuarón with the Society’s Visionary Award.

The only live action category totally free of the “Gravity” shadow was Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture, where “The Lone Ranger” was the only Oscar nominee of the bunch and, ergo, took the prize.

One film that did sweep all its fields was Disney’s “Frozen.” It won in all four of the animated feature categories, asserting itself further as the dominant toon player this season.

The Society also paid tribute to the late, great pioneer of stop-motion animation, Ray Harryhausen. The recipient of the VES Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 passed away last year. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, meanwhile, went to Oscar-winner John Dykstra (“Star Wars,” “Spider-Man 2”). Dykstra won a Scientific and Engineering Award at the 1978 Oscars for the development of the Dykstraflex Camera and the engineering of the Electronic Motion Control System used in concert for multiple exposure visual effects motion picture photography.

Check out the nominees here, the full list of winners below, and as always, remember to keep track of it all this season at The Circuit.